PatientRightsAdvocate.org (PRA) has released its Seventh Semi-Annual Hospital Price Transparency Report, revealing a significant decline in hospital compliance with the federal Hospital Price Transparency Rule. The percentage of hospitals in full compliance fell from February to November, dropping from 34.5% to 21.1%, a decrease of approximately 38.84%, according to PRA.
The report attributes this backslide in compliance to weak federal oversight, which has allowed hospitals to post prices that aren’t clearly associated with payers and not in required formats. This lack of enforcement hampers patients’ ability to access upfront pricing information, limiting their capacity to make informed healthcare decisions and protect themselves from unexpected costs.
Out of 2,000 hospitals assessed, only 421 (21.1%) were fully compliant with the federal rule. A mere 335 hospitals (16.8%) provided sufficient pricing data in clear dollars-and-cents format, and only 133 hospitals (6.7%) met both full compliance and pricing data sufficiency criteria. A significant 1,579 hospitals (78.9%) were found in total noncompliance, failing to meet multiple federal requirements. Additionally, 449 hospitals that were previously compliant have since regressed, now assessed as noncompliant.
Christus Health led in compliance, with 78% of its hospitals meeting the standard, followed by Baylor Scott & White at 58%, and HCA Healthcare at 56%. On the other hand, none of the hospitals owned by Ascension, AdventHealth, Kaiser Permanente, Bon Secours Mercy, and Mercy met full compliance standards.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued penalty notices to only 15 hospitals over four years, with just one notice in 2024, underscoring a lack of stringent enforcement.
In response to the report, PRA Chairman and Founder Cynthia Fisher wrote to President-elect Donald Trump, urging him to enforce stronger price transparency measures and reverse Biden-era CMS guidance, which PRA argues is too lenient. Fisher called for tougher action to ensure patients have access to transparent pricing information.
PRA offers a State-by-State Hospital Compliance Finder, enabling users to review compliance data for hospitals in their respective states. The full report is available on the PRA website: Seventh Semi-Annual Hospital Price Transparency Report.
This report highlights the urgent need for stronger enforcement of hospital price transparency rules to empower patients with critical pricing information and improve accountability in healthcare.